The present disclosure relates to the field of infusion devices, and more particularly to peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters.
A catheter assembly for an IV catheter generally includes a flexible catheter or catheter tube coupled to a distal end of a catheter adapter, which is also known as a catheter hub. The catheter adapter retains the catheter tube so that other components can interact with the catheter tube. In order to place the catheter tube in the patient's blood vessel, an introducer needle is coupled to the catheter adapter so that the needle extends through the catheter tube, with the sharp distal tip of the needle positioned just beyond the distal end of the catheter tube. The clinician uses the introducer needle to penetrate the patient's tissue and place the distal end of the catheter tube in a blood vessel.
Once the needle tip and the catheter tube are in the vessel, the clinician typically uses blood flashback to confirm that placement is correct. For example, the introducer needle can have an aperture, formed through its side proximal of its hollow tip. When properly placed in the vasculature of the patient, blood will flow into the tip of the introducer needle and out the needle notch. Typically the needle aperture is positioned within the catheter tube, and blood exiting the aperture will flow through the catheter tube and/or into a viewing portion of the catheter adapter. When the clinician sees the blood flow, the clinician knows that the distal tip of the needle and/or the distal end of the catheter tube is in place in the blood vessel.
During blood flashback, blood may accumulate in the catheter tube and catheter adapter. A septum in the catheter adapter contains the blood in a distal chamber of the catheter adapter. Once it is verified that the catheter tube is correctly placed in the blood vessel, the introducer needle is removed, and a source of IV fluids can be attached to the catheter adapter via a coupler. However, when the introducer needle is being removed there is a risk of blood flowing through the needle and exiting the needle aperture proximal of the septum.